• Latvijas Avize highlights contradictions between the words of the Minister of Culture Sarmite Elerte and the actions of her party Unity
• NGO: on-line opinion poll shows racial and ethnic prejudices are widespread among youth

Editorial in

Editorial in Latvijas Avize highlights the point raised by the Minister of Culture Sarmite Elerte that the situation in Latvia is similar to schizophrenia: part of society sees this country differently. The editorial draws attention to the fact that Mrs Elertes political party (Unity) distributes pre-election advertisement newspapers also in Russian, calling to Vote for ours! For Latgalians!, implying that the notion of Unitys ours also includes those who have not learned Latvian language. The editorial compares this to de-facto legalisation of bilingualism which contradicts official goals of the party and Mrs Elertes statements.

Latvian NGO Culture.Tolerance.Friendship (K.I.D.) together with partner NGOs in Estonia and Lithuania in April-May 2011 conducted on-line opinion poll of youth in the Baltic states. According to K.I.D. representative, the respondents tried to give “politically correct” answers to direct questions, yet prejudices surfaced in answers to more subtle questions. The least welcomed groups of potential immigrants are Romas, Caucasians and Arabs. In case of discrimination, 26% would not do anything to defend their rights, 10% would contact the Ombudsman’s Office, while others would approach human rights centre, newspapers and police.

Latvian NGO Culture.Tolerance.Friendship (K.I.D.) together with partner NGOs in Estonia and Lithuania in April-May 2011 conducted on-line opinion poll of youth in the Baltic states. According to K.I.D. representative, the respondents tried to give politically correct answers to direct questions, yet prejudices surfaced in answers to more subtle questions. The least welcomed groups of potential immigrants are Romas, Caucasians and Arabs. In case of discrimination, 26% would not do anything to defend their rights, 10% would contact the Ombudsmans Office, while others would approach human rights centre, newspapers and police. Vesti Segodnya (06.09.2011)

• MP Janis Adamsons: arrival of large number of refugees from Muslim countries will substantially change the situation in Latvia
• Minister of Culture Sarmite Elerte: it is like schizophrenia – we all live within one territory, but a part of the society lives in one country, a part in the other

Chas interviews the MP Janis Adamsons (Concord Centre) asking to comment his recent statement about immigrants: I always believed that we will find a common language with representatives of white race because of common mentality, we might have different views but we have similar scale of values. But if Muslims come here I do not know what will we do. Mr Adamsons asserts that he is not racist but believes that large influx of refugees from Muslim countries will substantially change the situation in Latvia. According to Mr Adamsons, Latvia has unsolved problems with a large number of non-citizens and there is ethnic split of the society. Mr Adamsons believes that the influx of refugees might create the third community with its own values.

Latvijas Avize prints an interview with the Minister of Culture Sarmite Elerte about integration. According to the Minister the new draft integration program is criticized because large part of the society does not understand that the existing Latvia is not a new state established after fall of the Soviet Union but the continuation of the Republic established in 1918. Mrs Elerte believes that Latvia was established by ethnic Latvians as a national and democratic state and the states task is to strengthen Latvian language and ethnic Latvian cultural environment as foundation for integration. Mrs Elerte believes that Russian-speakers are a mystical community who should not be seen as minority and suggests granting them privileges would imply discrimination against ethnic minorities such as Poles, Jews, Russians and others.

• Event in Riga commemorates children perished during the Holocaust

Neatkariga reports about an event Every Child has a Name held in Riga commemorating children perished during the Holocaust in Latvia. About 18,000 Jewish and 500 Roma children were exterminated during the Holocaust in Latvia.

• Concord Centre disassociates itself from the racist statement about immigrants made by its member Janis Adamsons

 

The political party Concord Centre spread official statement in which it disassociates itself from the statement made by its member Janis Adamsons about immigrants. In an interview with a regional TV channel, Mr Adamsons said: “I always believed that we will find a common language with representatives of white race because of common mentality, we might have different views but we have similar scale of values. But if Muslims come here I do not know what will we do.”

The political party Concord Centre spread official statement in which it disassociates itself from the statement made by its member Janis Adamsons about immigrants. In an interview with a regional TV channel, Mr Adamsons said: I always believed that we will find a common language with representatives of white race because of common mentality, we might have different views but we have similar scale of values. But if Muslims come here I do not know what will we do. Vesti Segodnya

 

• Diena interviews representatives of the most popular political parties on their positions regarding education issues
• Minister of Education Rolands Broks: it is useful to resume the discussions about education programs in Russian language in state funded higher education establishments

Diena interviews representatives of the most popular political parties on their positions regarding education issues. Representatives of the Slesers Reforms Party-Latvias First Part/Latvias Way and the Concord Centre believe that state funded higher education establishments should provide education programmes also in foreign languages – Russian, English and German – in order to attract foreign students. According to the Zatlers Reforms Party, deregulation of languages usage is acceptable after implementation of a new financing model which would stipulate different prices for the EU and non-EU students. Representatives of the All for Latvia!-For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM and the Unity believe that usage of Russian language in higher education establishments is not acceptable.

Vesti Segodnya reports that the Minister of Education Rolands Broks believes that it is useful to resume the discussions about education programs in Russian language in state funded higher education establishments. The Minister believes that programs in Russian could be introduced in the border cities - Daugavpils and Rezekne and in the Riga Technical University.